Looking to branch off

Tuesday

Nov 25, 2008 at 12:01 AM

Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen, above, and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, right, are likely to interview for head-coaching positions after the regular season. MU Coach Gary Pinkel said he would love for his assistants to be hired elsewhere and have the chance to build their own programs. Christensen's name has been associated with openings at Wyoming and New Mexico, while Eberflus is thought to be a candidate for the job at Toledo, his alma mater and where he played and coached under Pinkel before following him to Missouri.

While Gary Pinkel is committed to finishing his coaching career at Missouri, he won't stand in the way of his longtime assistants looking to advance their careers elsewhere. As Pinkel prepares to sign a lucrative contract extension, his coordinators, Dave Christensen (offense) and Matt Eberflus (defense), could break up MU's extraordinary string of staff continuity. All nine of Pinkel's full-time assistants have been with him since he became Missouri's coach after the 2000 season, sticking together longer than any staff among Football Bowl Subdivision teams.

But that could change in the coming weeks. Media speculation has associated Christensen with job openings at Wyoming and New Mexico, while Eberflus could be targeted by his alma mater, Toledo.

Pinkel hopes both get an opportunity, just like he did almost 20 years ago

"Shoot, I want my staff to advance," he said yesterday. "It opens up opportunities internally. I think it's very healthy. I also think it's anticipated after success. ? So, you want them to go out and take what they've learned and have their shot because it's so hard. It's so hard to get a job."

The topic led Pinkel down memory lane as he shared with reporters his roundabout way into Toledo's head-coaching job in 1991. When Pinkel was Don James' offensive coordinator at Washington, he interviewed for two head-coaching jobs in the Mid-American Conference after the 1990 regular season: at Bowling Green, where he had been an assistant coach, and Kent State, his alma mater. He was passed over for both, prompting his wife, Vicki, to tell a friend, "If he can't get hired there, he's never going to get hired," Pinkel recalled yesterday.

The next February, though, Pinkel took a call from his former Kent State teammate Nick Saban, who just finished his first season as Toledo's head coach. Saban was leaving to become Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator with the Cleveland Browns. Saban told him he could land him an interview at Toledo if he wanted. Pinkel went on to win more games than any head coach in Toledo's history.

"If Nick Saban's not there, I might not be standing here," Pinkel said. "So many things have to happen to make it work right, just to get the opportunity."

With two games left to play before a break for bowl preparations - Saturday's against Kansas (6-5, 3-4 Big 12) and the Dec. 6 Big 12 championship game - Christensen said there's plenty of time to balance coaching the 12th-ranked Tigers (9-2, 5-2) and handling any potential interviews.

"When the season ends, if an opportunity presents itself with a chance to advance your career, you look at it," said Christensen, who interviewed for the head-coaching job at Washington State last year. "But really, right now, my focus is on this game. We've got three games left to play, and I certainly owe it to these kids and this program to put my focus on that."

Eberflus and Arizona defensive coordinator Mark Stoops have been most prominently mentioned as candidates at Toledo, where Eberflus was a three-year starting linebacker and team captain his senior year, which, incidentally, was Pinkel's first year as the Rockets' head coach.

"Most coaches at this level or any level aspire to be a head coach," Eberflus said. "And that's what our head coach wants us to do. He wants us to become head coaches, take our program and put it somewhere else and have it be successful. I know he'd be very proud of that."

Pinkel agreed.

"That would mean a lot to me," he said. "I think that says a lot about us at the University of Missouri that people would come here and get my coaches to go build programs."

As for Pinkel's contract extension, he and university officials have come to a verbal agreement and they expect to complete the paperwork sometime this week, possibly before the holiday. The UM System Board of Curators was scheduled to meet today to vote on the contract's approval. Pinkel's annual guaranteed compensation will jump from $1.85 million to $2.5 million, making him the third highest paid coach in the Big 12. His staff will receive raises as part of the new deal, too.

"Mizzou people always come running up saying thanks for building the program. Well, you're never built," Pinkel said. "You never are. It's a never-ending process. To this point, we're proud of what we accomplished, but there's a lot out there."

For now, the extension silences any speculation that Pinkel, 56, would entertain offers from other schools, specifically Washington. He went further last night during his radio show, indicating Missouri would be his final coaching stop.

"I'm going to stay here for the rest of my career and continue to build this program," he told the audience at Buffalo Wild Wings.

? COFFMAN A FINALIST: Pinkel and tight end Chase Coffman have sounded like broken records the last few weeks when it comes to Coffman's sprained big toe. But once again, both expect him the All-America candidate to play this weekend.

"We certainly need him back on our team," Pinkel said of Coffman, who missed MU's games against Kansas State and Iowa State.

"If we're going to miss two games, those are two good games to miss, I guess," Coffman said. "We did a good job winning those. Hopefully I'll be ready to go. I'm ready to get back playing with the guys."

Despite missing the last two games, Coffman was chosen one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, which is given annually to the nation's best tight end. One way or another, a Big 12 player is going to win the award. The other finalists are Oklahoma's Jermaine Gresham and Oklahoma State's Brandon Pettigrew.

"That's pretty neat," Coffman said. "It speaks a lot about the Big 12 and how well the conference is doing this year. It's an honor."

Coffman leads the trio in receptions (73) and receiving yards (819), though Gresham edges him in touchdown catches, 10 to seven.

? MACLIN, TOO: Coffman isn't Missouri's only national awards finalist, as the Big 12 swept the list for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the best receiver. MU's Jeremy Maclin joins Oklahoma State's Dez Bryant and Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree as the finalists.

Maclin has a team-high 79 catches for 1,052 yards and 10 touchdowns. Crabtree leads the Big 12 in receptions (84) and touchdown catches (18) while posting 1,072 yards. Bryant has the most receiving yards (1,222) on 68 catches, including 16 for touchdowns.

The winners will be announced during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards show live on ESPN Dec. 11 in Orlando, Fla., though the Mackey finalists are not invited to the awards show.

Reach Dave Matter at (573) 815-1781 or dmatter@tribmail.com.

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